The Schiffshebewerk Niederfinow was completed in 1934 and is part of the Haavel-Oder waterway connecting the Elbe and Oder river basins. The waterway begins in Berlin at the Spandau lock and opens into the West Oder at the border area between Poland and Germany..
The current Schiffshebewerk Niederfinow (a new and much larger one is due to open in 2017 and replace this one) is 52 meters high (171 feet) by 27 meters wide (89 feet) and 94 meters long (308 feet).
Boats and barges enter the trough and are lowered or lifted at a speed of 7 meters or 23 feet per minute. It takes approximately 20 minutes for a vessel to complete the entire passage through the Schiffshebewerk Niederfinow, including loading, securing and exiting. The actual lifting and lowering only takes 5 minutes.
The trough you will see in this video weighs 4,290 tons when filled with water and is lifted or lowered by 192 counterweights via cables and deflection rollers – quite a marvel to watch in action!
Insider Berlin Travel Tips
Need a place to stay in Berlin?
Research your visit to Berlin by looking at all the articles and recommendations we have made from personal experience here.
Purchase a Berlin Welcome Card and ride public transport for free plus receive discounts of up to 50 percent with museums and numerous other Berlin attractions.
Here are several guidebooks on Berlin we recommend:
Our award-winning photos make a perfect gift – to yourself, a friend, or a family member. Prints for a wall, on a desk, as greeting cards, cozy fleece blankets, ornaments, fridge magnets, coffee mugs, luggage tags, coasters, mouse pads and puzzles. Subscriber Club members get 25% off any order!
Be prepared for anything. When travel goes bad, you must be prepared, which is why we never leave home without the right travel insurance and good travel emergency evacuation coverage.
Learn to speak a bit of German so you can get around more easily and don't stand out as a tourist! Read Start to learn languages – Top language learning apps and websites.
ADVERTISEMENT
As an affiliate for Get Your Guide, Amazon.com, iVisa, Global Rescue, Think Tank, 5.11, Kuhl, Adorama, and others, we earn a small commission at no extra cost to you should you choose to purchase through the links in our posts. It is essential to mention that we only endorse products we believe in and personally use. Your support for HI Travel Tales through these purchases allows us to maintain a sustainable platform for creating valuable and relevant content for you.
Are you protected IF a travel emergency happens?
